Ignition apparatus.



H. LYON.

IGNITION APPABATUB.

APPLIOATIOI nun mm s, 1911.

Patented July 29, 1913.

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H. LYON.

IGNITION APPARATUS.

APPLIOATXO! mum mu 5, 1911.

Patented July 29, 1913.

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ii 1N iTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD LYON, OF GLOUCESTER CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WELSBACH LIGHTCOMPANY, OF GLOUCESTER CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

IGNITION APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 15913.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, Howann LYON, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Gloucester City, in the county of Camden and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in IgnitionApparatus, of which the following is a descript ion.

My invention relates to apparatus for the ignition of illuminating gasor combustible vapor.

At the present time the ignition of gas lamps situated out of doors orin exposed positions is attended with great dilliculty due to thepresence of strong air currents and wind which cool the filament orother ignition means or blow the gas away from it to such an extent thatit has been a practical impossibility to use a catalytic or a hot wireigniter, re iance being had on constantly burning pilots which howeverare uneconomical on account of the substantial quantities of gasconsumed thereby.

The present apparatus has been devised more particularly with referenceto providing an igniter preferably of the hot wire type and capable ofreliable operation in all kinds of weather, including winds of greatvelocity, and bein equally well adapted for use indoors and allsheltered places.

in order that the invention may be more fullv understood, reference ishereby made to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 IS a sideelevation of a five burner lamp. partly in section, on line 11 of Fig..2. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan and Fi 4 avertical axial section of the igniter of iigs. 1 and 2. Fig. .3 is avertical axial section of a single burner lamp of the upright type andequipped with my invention. Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig 5,and Fig. 7 is a section on line 77 of Fig. 6.

The lamp shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is, ex-

' cept for the ignition means, of well known form and comprises fiveburner heads a depending from a deck plate Z1 and supporting invertedincandescent mantles c. The burner heads are sup lied with gas from theBunsen tubes d ra iating from a central supply pipe 6 by which the lampis supported, each Bunsen tube having the usual gas check and air inlets(not. shown). Above the burner heads a. and in staggered relationthereto are the five fines or stacks h which have outlets (not shown)near the top of the lamp. A globe holder 1'- is also provided forsupporting a hemis )hericnl globe (not shown), the interim of the lumpbeing supplied with atmospheric through the gauze 7c.

The igniter comprises a body 1 having a nipple 2 in which is secured thelower end of a supply pipe \Vithin said body is an annular chamber 4supplied with gas by the .pipe 3 and having a narrow annular outlet 5 atits upper end. Arranged within and concentric with the body 1 is atubular member 6 of metal within which is an ignition chamber 7, the topof which is open and the bottom closed by a shouldered )lug S ofporcelain, fiber or other suita lo insulator within which is mounted aconducting bolt 9. A conductive sleeve 10 is also mounted on theinsulating plug 8 and is in close contact with the bore of the tube (3.Air inlets 11 are formed in the tube 6 as shown. A conducting filament12 of platinum or platinum alloy of minute cross section is supported atits ends by leading in wires 13 and 14 respectively, 13 bein connectedto the conductor 9 and 1 to the sleeve 10. This filament is referablyformed with a two or three turn ielix at its center as disclosed in myapplication Serial No. 585,779., filed October 7, 1910. A suitablesource of current such as a single dry cell (not shown) is used forenergizing the filament 1? whenever ignition of the lamp is desired, anysuitable switch being employed for the purpose and which may be combinedwith the cock m or mounted at a distance from the lamp in any well knownmanner, the switch serving to open the circuit as soon as ignition hasoccurred.

In the operation of the apparatus, the cock m is turned to admit gas tothe burner heads (I and pilot tube 3. Gas issues from the outlet 5 in athin annular stream which entrains air from the chamber 7 and throughthe inlets 11, causing the filament 12 to be bathed in atmospheric air.The stream of gas tends to dill'use and a small percentage thereof findsits way into the upper portion of the chamber 7 and into the vicinity ofthe filament 12 whereby an iguitible mixture is formed and surrounds thesaid filament. Upon closing the switch. an electric current. is passedthrough the filament, which current is preferably of a strengthinsuflicient air of itself to heat the filament to the kindlingtemperature of the gas, but is sufficient to initiate catalytic action,one dry cell being sutiicient for this purpose. The catalytic action ofthe gasupon the electrically heated filament very quickly raises it to ahigh temperature and ignition at once takes place, the resultantexplosion igniting all the gas in the lamp which thereafter burns at allof the burner heads a. in the usual manner. The electric current is thencut ofi', while the jet from outlet 5 may be allowed to burn. as itsconsumption is negligible compared with that of the lamp proper, thepilot being shut of? by the cock m whenever the lamp itself isextinguished.

The operation of the apparatus described is not affected by the presenceof strong drafts and air currents from the outside because the upper endof the ignition chamber 7 is surrounded by a current of gas, tore abreeze from any direction is not only unable to blow all of the gas awayfrom the ignition chamber but must of necessity blow some gas into thechamber, so that in practice the presence of such extraneous currents ofair expedites rather than hinders the process of ignition. This is alsotrue of the apparatus of Fig. 5 which will be now described. The lampshown comprises a Bunsen tube a mounted on a supply cock 0 and havingair inlets 7) controlled by a shutter g. A burner head 15 is mounted onthe upper end of the Bunsen tube n and contains a mixing chamber 16having an outlet 17 of annular form protected by a gauze 18. Within andconcentric with the burner head 15 is a tubular member 6' of metalwithin which is an ignition chamber 7', the top of which is open and thebottom closed by a shouldered plug 8' of suitable insulating materialwithin which is mounted a conducting bolt 9'. A conductive sleeve 10' isalso mounted on the insulating pin 8' and is in close contact with thebore of the tube 6'. An air inlet tube 11' extends from the base of thechamber 7 to the exterior of the burner head 15 so as to provide for theadmission of atmospheric air to the said chamber T. The leading in wires13 and 14 and conducting filament 12 are the same as have beenpreviously described, and the latter is energized in the same way, as bya dry cell w. The cock comprises a body 0 and a key upon whose shank 20is mounted a sleeve 21 having a limited movement thereon by reason of apin and slot connection between the two. T he contacts 23 and 26 areconnected respectively to one pole of the battery as and to the body ofthe cock or ground. These contacts are mounted on an insulator 24carthere-.

ried by the cock. The contacts 23 and 26 are so placed as to be engagedby a contact disk 25 on said sleeve 21 when the cock is held open duringthe ignition period, thereby closing the circuit through the igniter.The circuit is automatically opened when the hand is removed from thekey by reason of the spring 22 which moves the sleeve 21 into theposition shown in Fig. (3. This spring is a left handed spiral or helix,whereas the movement of the key 20 and sleeve 21 by which the circuit isclosed is right handed. By reason of this right handed motion against aleft handed spring, the release is made much more positive.

The operation of the device of Fig. 5 is similar to that of Figs. 1 and2. The cock 0 having been opened, gas is permitted to till the burnerhead and lamp and at the same time the electrical circuit is completedthrough the filament 12. Some of the gas which surrounds the ignitionchamber 7' finds its way into the same through the open end thereof, andmixing with the air therein contained, produces an ignitible mixturewhich surrounds the filament. The latter is heated by the electriccurrent to a sufficient extent to initiate catalytic action with respectto the mixture. Such catalytic action very quickly raises the filamentto a high temperature and ignition takes place resulting in theexplosion of the gas in the lamp which thereafter burns at the burnerhead in the usual manner. The cock 0 is then liber- Med and the circuitis immediately opened by reason of the action of the spring 22, as hasbeen described. In this structure the filament is protected from outsideair currents not only by the wall of the ignition chamber 7' and theannular current of gas which surrounds the same, but also by the mantler of the lamp which is mounted in any well known manner and surroundsthe burner head as shown.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is:

In a gas lamp, 0. burner having an outlet or outlets in the form of anannulus, an ig nition chamber below said outlet or outlets and having anopening surrounded thereby, an air inlet for said chamber, and ignitionmeans situated entirely within said chamber, the arrangement being suchthat the ignition chamber receives gas only by way of said opening,substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 31st day of May 1911.

HOWARD LYON.

\Vitnesses:

J. H. Jonusozv, 0. '1. Doom.

copies or this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C."

